An attorney and relatives of a San Lorenzo man shot dead by Alameda County sheriff's deputies blasted the agency Sunday, saying the deputies had created a lethal confrontation with an "emotionally impaired" man who needed medical help.

David Goins, 61, was killed last week after he assaulted paramedics who were trying to put him in an ambulance, then retreated to his home and swung a baseball bat at deputies, authorities said.

Goins was shot at his home on Paseo Grande near Via Toledo about 10 p.m. last Monday in a confrontation that capped a spate of run-ins with deputies who police the unincorporated community, investigators said.

But at a news conference at his Oakland law office Sunday, attorney John Burris joined Goins' family in excoriating the sheriff's office for killing the married father of three sons, when all he needed was medical treatment in the wake of recent brain surgery.

Burris said Goins left the ambulance because he decided he didn't want a ride to the hospital and wanted his family to take him instead. Instead of inquiring with his wife about any next steps, the deputies broke down the door, Burris said.

"Why did the police feel they were compelled to enter the house when they did?" Burris said. "The police created the confrontation. You can't create a confrontation and then shoot your way out of it and claim everything is justified, and that's what happened in this case."

David Goins Jr. said, "My father had a lot of health issues, but other than that, he was a good father. And now my family right now, we're crippled. We depended on my father for a lot of things, and now we got to sit here and rebuild our life. Our life has changed drastically because of what has happened."

Belinda Goins said her husband of 40 years "was a good man, and he didn't deserve to die." She burst into tears as she said she would take solace in the many "good memories" she had of him, including his weekend visits with his grandchildren to play basketball and soccer and make them breakfast.

Deputies had been to the home 19 times since 2011 for a variety of reasons, including to investigate reports of domestic violence and public drunkenness, Sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson has said. Family members said this fact alone should have prompted the deputies to have reacted differently.

The latest incident began when Alameda County firefighters and paramedics were called to the home to investigate reports that Goins was having a seizure, authorities said. As Goins was being taken to an ambulance, he became combative and assaulted one of the paramedics, then ran back into his house, Nelson said.

Firefighters called the sheriff's office, and a sergeant and a deputy went into the home to look for Goins, Nelson said.

When they found him, Goins "came out with a baseball bat and hit the sergeant," Nelson said. The bat hit the sergeant's rifle, disabling it, Nelson said.

The sergeant then pulled his handgun, and he and a deputy opened fire, killing Goins.

The sergeant suffered a bruise on his arm, Nelson said. His name and that of the deputy have not been released. They will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice, pending investigations by the sheriff's office and prosecutors.